Projects

SPACE FLIGHT DOLPHIN:
An Art-and-Technology Payload for the Space Shuttle

Artist Richard Clar conceived Space Flight Dolphin (SFD) in 1982. Approved by NASA, SFD is an interdisciplinary art-in-space SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project designed to be deployed in low-Earth orbit from the cargo bay of the U.S. Space Shuttle. The dolphin sculpture/satellite will transmit a signal modulated by dolphin voices that may be detected or sensed by an extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI). As the sculpture/satellite orbits the Earth, the dolphin voices will be monitored in various museums around the World and on the Internet, providing a link between different peoples and cultures on our own planet. Space Flight Dolphin adds to the history of human beings communicating through art with symbols that transcend the boundaries of time and culture.